Sacred Meal in the Trapeza, Lavra
A monk reverently sits at a table in the dimly lit trapeza (dining hall) of the Lavra, where the T-shaped plan with an apse, curved sigma (C-shaped) tables from the 10th century, and frescoed walls from floor to ceiling deliberately evoke the sacred space of a church interior. The communal meals, which are vegetarian (fish is served on feast days), are understood to complement the sacred meal of the Eucharist in the church. The monks eat twice a day, in silence, while a monk recites sacred texts from the lives of the saints and from Scriptures.